Kobbie Mainoo was omitted from Manchester United’s matchday squad to face Aston Villa after picking up an injury, the club confirmed.

Mainoo’s absence carries both immediate and symbolic weight. He is the sole remaining academy graduate in Amorim’s senior squad following the summer departures of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. United have maintained a run of more than 88 years with at least one academy graduate in matchday squads, and that sequence has been a persistent consideration for the manager.

Amorim has openly admitted his fear of being the manager who breaks the famous record. The current season already included a scare when Mainoo sustained an injury in November. On that occasion Amorim turned to academy midfielder Jack Fletcher to preserve the run, and Fletcher returns to the squad once again for the meeting with Aston Villa.

There are other young figures included among the substitutes. Centre back Tyler Fredricson is named on the bench for a second successive game as he aims to build on three senior appearances for the club. Midfielder Shea Lacey, who has been an unused substitute on previous occasions, will hope to make his debut at the fifth time of asking this season.

Bendito Mantato, a versatile option comfortable as a wing back on either side, is also in the squad to provide cover while Noussair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo are away at the Africa Cup of Nations alongside forward Bryan Mbeumo.

Starting XI: Lammens; Yoro, Heaven, Shaw; Dalot, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dorgu; Cunha, Mount, Šeško.

Bench: Bayındır, Heaton, Fredricson, Malacia, Mantato, Martínez, Fletcher, Lacey, Zirkzee.

Ruben Amorim has publicly appealed for patience around Kobbie Mainoo’s situation at Manchester United after a family stunt and growing media attention. The manager framed Mainoo’s current role as part of a normal development process at Old Trafford, reminding observers that notable figures have not always been automatic starters.

Tensions rose after Mainoo’s half-brother posed in a t-shirt which read “Free Kobbie Mainoo” during the recent 4–4 draw with Bournemouth, a stunt that left former player Roy Keane thoroughly unimpressed. Ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Aston Villa, Amorim urged restraint and work ethic from the 20-year-old.

“Kobbie needs to fight for his job,” Amorim stressed ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Aston Villa. “I think that it is not a bad thing to be on the bench of Manchester United  when you are 20 years old.

“I remember Ronaldo was on the bench, Rooney was on the bench sometimes. [Juan Sebastián] Verón was not playing. I remember all the history of Manchester United and nobody … So let’s continue in trying to avoid the nonsense and the noise. I just want to help the team win, to help Kobbie to be a better player.”

Amorim has repeatedly defended his selection choices and has denied that limited use of Mainoo is a message or strategy aimed at anyone. He stressed the selection is made with match-winning priorities in mind and encouraged the young midfielder to respond on the field.

“I’m not trying to say to Kobbie, ‘You are a big player here, let’s put him on the bench to show something’,” he insisted. “No, no.

“What I’m saying is the opposite. I’m just not putting Kobbie sometimes because I understand that this is not the right guy to start the game. Maybe the next game, on Sunday, he is going to start.

“If he plays well, he’s going to show everyone. ‘This guy cannot take me from the team,’ and I will be so happy, so I don’t care. I don’t want to show nothing to anyone. I’m just saying that I’m trying to win games and to show to the players that if you do the things right, you will play no matter what the name.”

United are reportedly reluctant to sell Mainoo, who is the last remaining academy graduate in Amorim’s senior squad. Club sources say his departure would harm morale and undermine United’s bid to keep their 88-year streak of naming at least one homegrown player in every matchday squad.

Sir Alex Ferguson has warned that Manchester United may be some years away from another Premier League triumph, while expressing cautious optimism about recent recruitment.

Ferguson suggested a long cycle could lie ahead after a turbulent period at the club. Over the subsequent 12 years, there have been six permanent coaching appointments and not a single serious title challenge between them. Ruben Amorim, the current incumbent, was appointed midway through a 15th-place finish last term, the club’s lowest league position since they were relegated in 1974. At that point, Ferguson was still playing for Ayr United.

The Scot, remembered for his 13 Premier League titles, also reflected on his own early struggles. Midway through the 1989–90 campaign, which would see United slump to 13th, fan discontent produced a banner reading: “Three years of excuses and it’s still crap… ta ra Fergie.” He contrasted that era with Liverpool’s later wait for a title, which was ended by Jürgen Klopp in 2020.

“I remember looking back on my own time there [at Man Utd], starting off when Liverpool were the bee’s knees,” Ferguson recalled in an interview with Press Box PR this week. “They were a fantastic club winning the European Cup four times and all that, but then it took them 31 years to win the league again.

“We are now in the same situation. It could be 10 years, could be 11 years, because of that cycle. It has to be thought out carefully and we have to make sure the recruitment is going to be better than what it was.”

Despite his warning, Ferguson praised United’s summer business and singled out the new goalkeeper. “I think the appointment of the goalkeeper has made a difference,” the 83-year-old noted. “He’s young at 23, he’s quick, a big lad, good feet and hands, and I think that helps. I think they have needed that player. United have always had inspirational players over the years. I think that has helped.

“The other two, [Bryan] Mbeumo and [Matheus] Cunha, they look as if they will contribute to the recovery of our form.”

Amorim politely rejected the long-timeline prediction. “He understands football more than me, especially English football,” the Portuguese told assembled media on Friday. “I think we will not take that long to win a league and I don’t know which manager is going to be here, but I truly believe that we can fight for the title in the next years. I think it’s not going to take so many years, but you never know.”